BIOL 410 - Developmental Biology

Prerequisite, BIOL 208. In this class, students will explore one of the biggest questions in biology: how does a single cell becomes an organism? This big question requires input from many different fields. This course draws topics from genetics, molecular and cellular biology, anatomy, and evolution to explore this fundamental question. Along the way, students will investigate how gene expression becomes differentially regulated in different cell types and tissues and how signaling between cells and tissues facilitates cell movement, shape, replicative potential, and function. Students will learn how these two processes work together, along with mechanical forces to provide the blueprint for axis formation, body patterning, and specification for every cell type from germ cells to neurons. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to a variety of model organisms including Drosophila, mice, C. elegans, sea urchins, xenopus, and zebra fish, that helped solve a lot of developmental biology mysteries. The course will also draw heavily on human genetic disease and animal oddities to highlight the importance of single genes and molecules. However, emphasis will not be on memorizing each of these tiny molecules, but rather in understanding the overarching themes that govern successful organismal development. These topics will be covered in lecture as well as in discussion of primary literature. You will be expected to use this knowledge to design experiments, analyze and interpret results, and critically examine the primary literature. To foster this experimental mindset, this class will include weekly “workshop” sessions, where students will work in groups to identify genetic and molecular causes of disease, brainstorm experimental approaches, interpret data, and predict developmental outcomes. The goal of this course is to strengthen critical thinking skills and encourage problem solving, both of which will be useful in future academic pursuits and STEM focused careers. Letter grade with Pass/No Pass option. Repeatable for credit once if the topic is different. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits